CONTINENT'S FIRST: Ethiopian Airlines takes delivery next week of Africa's first Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

FUEL EFFICIENT: The 787, which so far is operated only by two Japanese airlines, is made out of lighter, composite material — 50 percent of the plane is carbon fiber — that allows airlines to save on fuel costs.

AFRICAN ROUTES: Ethiopian Air will put the 787 on its African routes first — to Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe — before it flies to other international destinations, such as Washington, D.C., the airline's CEO Tewolde Gebremariam told The Associated Press in an interview.